Hanger for elongate members



p il 97 c. JENKINS I 4 3,506,227

HANGER FOR ELONGATE MEMBERS Filed Nov. 6. 1967 f IE 5 INVENTOR. JBHN E. JENKINS.

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United States Patent 3,506,227 HANGER FOR ELONGATE MEMBERS John C. Jenkins, Lorain, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to TRW Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 680,911 Int. Cl. F16l 3/10, 3/24 U.S. Cl. 248-59 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rugged pipe hanger of simple design is provided. Each hanger is capable of accommodating several different sizes of pipes and the hangers can be made in several sizes to accommodate pipes of almost any desired range of sizes. The hanger includes a generally U-shaped strap which receives a pipe in a locking member which extends through holes in the legs of the strap and holds the pipe securely in the strap.

This invention relates to a hanger for elongate members and more particularly to a hanger for supporting pipes on ships.

Although numerous pipe and cable hanger designs are known in the art, the hanger according to the instant invention is primarily designed for pipes and the hanger can accommodate pipes of different sizes, if desired. The new hanger is of low-cost construction and is relatively easy to install, both in affixing the hangers to the ship and in assembling the pipes with the hangers, so that the over-all cost of the hangers and installation can be maintained at a minimum. The new hanger is also exceptionally effective in withstanding shock, which is a strict requirement on combat ships.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide an improved hanger, particularly for pipes for ships, having the advantages outlined above.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a pipe hanger embodying the invention and showing a pipe carried thereby, in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of the hanger shown in FIG. 1, with a support thereof broken away and shown in cross section;

FIG. 3 is a front view in elevation of a slightly modified hanger and showing still a different support;

FIG. 4 is a View in perspective of a hanger with a U-shaped portion similar to that of FIG. 1, but including a modified support;

FIG. 5 is a front view in elevation of the hanger shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the hanger with a slightly modified support.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pipe hanger embodying the invention is indicated at 10 and includes a generally inverted U-shaped, pipe-engaging unit 12 and a support 14. The pipe-engaging unit 12 includes a one-piece metal strap 16 of generally inverted U-shaped configuration, and a locking bar 18. The strap 16 and the bar 18 can be made in three sizes to accommodate all sizes of p pe commonly employed on a ship The strap of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a central, generally horizontal portion 20, a pair of diverging, downwardly-extending intermediate leg portions 22, and a pair of substantially vertical end legs 24. Each of the end legs 24 has, in this instance, three elongate openings 26, 28, and 30, the corresponding ones on each leg being spaced equally from the lower ends of the respec- 3,506,227 Patented Apr. 14, 1970 tive legs 24. The spacing between the adjacent openings is designed so that the unit 12 can accommodate pipes of one-half, three-quarter, and one inch diameters, by way of example.

After a pipe or elongate member 32 is inserted into the spacev defined by the strap 16, the locking bar 18 is assembled with the strap. The bar 18, in this instance, has an L-shaped flange 34 at one end with the other end being straight so that the straight end can be inserted through the appropriate one of the openings 26-30 in one of the legs 24, extended under the pipe 32 and through the corresponding opening in the other of the legs 24. The L-shaped flange 34 then extends under the end of the associated leg or into one of the other openings An end portion 36 of the locking bar 18 which extends outwardly beyond the other leg is then bent downwardly, as shown, to securely hold the bar 18 in place. The end of the bar can also be bent under the end of the leg, if desired. As the end 36 is bent downwardly, it can exert a compressive force on the legs 24 to aid in squeezing the pipe 32 in the unit 12 to hold the pipe securely and prevent rattling or vibration. If desired, as is known in the art, a strip of rubber or other suitable resilient material can be used within the unit 12 to cushion the pipe from the metal of the unit and further enhance sound attenuation, etc.

A pipe-engaging unit similar to the unit 12 can be made in a slightly larger size with two appropriately spaced elongate openings in the end legs to accommodate pipes having diameters of one-and-one-quarter and oneand-one-half inches. Further, a pipe-engaging unit 38 of a pipe hanger 40 of FIG. 3 can be used to accommodate a pipe of two-inch diameter. The unit 38 of FIG. 3 is of a slightly modified design with a strap 42 having a cen tral, generally horizontal portion 44 and intermediate diverging legs 46 all of generally rounded construction and forming an actual U-shaped configuration with end legs 48. Each of the legs 48, in this instance, have only one elongate opening 50 to accommodate the single size pipe.

The hanger support for the pipe hanger can be of several different designs. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support 14 includes a female stud 52 which is welded to the central strap portion 20 preferably by an end-welding technique, eg as disclosed in Sayer Patent 2,648,748, with the end of the stud carrying flux, e.g. as shown in Nelson Patent 2,402,659 or Jenkins Patent 2,883,215. In this manner, the stud can be affixed rapidly and yet provide a connection of maximum security to enable the hanger to withstand almost any shock.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stud 52 has a threaded recess 54 which receives a threaded shank 56 of a male stud 58, the upper end of which is welded by an end welding technique, as discussed before, to a bulkhead, overhead, etc. shown in the form of a heavy metal plate in FIG. 2. The support 14 is advantageous in the installation of the hanger 10 because the male stud 58 can be welded at the desired position to the ship plate 60 and the pipe-engaging unit -12 and the female stud 52 then assembled therewith, simply by turning the unit 12 and the stud 52 onto the male stud 58. The height of the pipe-engaging unit 12 can be varied by the extent to which the female stud is turned onto the male stud so as to assure proper vertical alignment of the various hangers for the pipe 32. When the pipe-engaging units 12 are assembled and properly aligned, the pipe 32 is placed in position and the locking bars 18 then assembled by placing the ends 36 thereof through the appropriate openings 26-30. The ends 36 are then bent downwardly to prevent removal of the bar and, at the same time, to squeeze the legs 24, thereby holding the pipe firmly in place.

A slightly modified hanger support 62 isshown in FIG. 3 for the pipe-engaging unit 38 of the hanger 40. In this instance, a male stud 64 is end welded to the central portion 44 of the strap 42 and a similar male stud 66 is end welded to the ship plate 60. A tubular member 68 with threaded end portions is then assembled with the male studs 64 and 66 to complete the support 62 and maintain the hanger unit 38 at the desired position below the plate 60.

A modified pipe hanger 70 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The hanger '70 in this instance includes a pipe-engaging unit 12, which is the same as that of FIGS. 1 and 2, and a modified hanger support 72. The hanger support 72 includes a rectangular stud 74 afiixed to the central portion 20 of the strap 16, with this stud also affixed by welding and preferably an end welding technique. A similar stud 76 is welded to the ship plate 60 in the same manner. The two rectangular studs 74 and 76 are then brought into contiguous positions with openings 78 and 80 of the stud 74 aligned with openings 82 and 84 of the stud 76. Bolts '86 or other suitable fasteners are then extended through the openings to connect the studs by nuts 88.

With this hanger design, the hanger-engaging unit 12 can be placed in various positions below the plate 60 by using an intermediate connecting strap or bar 90 of a modified hanger support 92, as shown in FIG. 6. Here, the same rectangular studs 74 and 76 are employed but, rather than being positioned contiguously, are placed in alignment. Four holes 94, 96, 98, and '100 of the connecting bar '90 are then aligned with the openings 78, 80, '82, and '84 respectively with the bolts 86 and nuts 88 then used to assemble the connecting bar 90 with the rectangular studs 74 and 76 to complete the hanger support 92. The connecting bar 90 can be of any suitable length for positioning the hanger-engaging unit 12 as desired.

From the above, it will be seen that the pipe hanger embodying the invention has a number of advantages, including few parts and easy assembly. While the hanger supports can be of various design, each includes one component which is afiixed to a central portion of the hanger-engaging unit, and a separate component which is affixed to the ship, along with means for enabling the hanger to be supported from the second component which is affixed to the ship. The hanger-engaging unit firmly holds the pipe when the locking bar is assembled and the What I claim is:

1. A pipe hanger comprising a heavy, one-piece metal strap of generally U-shaped configuration, said strap including a central portion and a pair of substantially straight end legs, each of said end legs having at least one elongate opening therein extending parallelly to the axis of a pipe to be held by the hanger and extending transversely of said end legs, a fiat locking member extending through both of said leg openings for aiding in holding a portion of a pipe within a space defined by said strap, said flat locking member lying in a plane parallel to the axis of the pipe, said locking member having means formed at one end to prevent movement of said end of said member through one of said openings, the opposite end of said member extending beyond the other of said openings and being transversely bendable to a locking position and effective to urge said legs toward one another to hold the pipe securely, said central portion and said legs of said strap adapted to be positioned adjacent the outer surface of the pipe when in assembled relationship therewith to hold the pipe against transverse movement, and supporting means affixed to the strap for making a connection with a fixed support.

2. A pipe hanger according to claim 1 wherein said leg openings are spaced substantially equal distances from ends of said legs.

3. A pipe hanger according to claim 1 characterized by said supporting means including a component afiixed to said strap by a Weld.

4. A pipe hanger according to claim 3 characterized by said component of said supporting means is a heavy supporting bar having means adapted to fit with a second supporting component.

pipe can be assembled with this unit in a relatively short time and with simple tools. 1

Various modifications of the above described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled- 5. A pipe hanger according to claim 4 characterized further by a second supporting bar affixed to the fixed support, and means connecting said bars together in assembled relationship.

6. A pipe hanger according to claim 5 characterized further by said first and second supporting bars being connected by a connecting bar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,514,455 11/1924 Gordon 248-59 X 2,644,383 7/1953 Meditz 248-327 X 2,787,716 4/ 1957 Leonard 248-327 3,334,851 8/196-7 Cassidy 248-74 X FOREIGN PATENTS 251,651 5/ 1964 Australia.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 248- 

